A deposit slip is a printed form which accompanies bank deposits. The depositor fills out the slip to indicate what types of funds are being deposited and which accounts they should be deposited into. In some cases, a bank will pre-print forms with account information and include them in a checkbook. Deposit slips are used by a bank to keep track of the money deposited over the course of a business day, and to ensure that no funds slip through the cracks. For bank clients, these offer a form of protection, indicating that funds were counted and accepted by the bank. If the deposit is processed improperly, the deposit slip will provide a paper trail.

Most people with a checking or savings account have interacted with a deposit slip, and are familiar with the basic format which asks for the name of the client, the date, and the account number. Fields underneath this basic information provide a space for the client to enter the type of funds: cash, coin, or check. If multiple checks are being deposited, the slip usually has a space on the back to list and tally them all. The client adds up the funds to come up with a subtotal, indicates whether or not he or she would like cash back, and then enters a final total of funds being deposited.

Ad

When a client enters a bank with a deposit slip and funds, the bank clerk or teller will count the funds to make sure that the total listed on the slip is correct. The form is signed, stamped, or printed, depending on the bank, to indicate that it was accepted by a teller, and the teller updates the listed total in the bank account to reflect the deposit. If the funds are in the form of cash and coin, the bank recirculates them. If checks are included in the deposit, the bank sends them on to the issuing bank to be processed. The requested cash back, if any, is also provided.

A deposit slip can also be used in an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM). In this instance, the form is filled out and signed by the client before being slipped into an envelope which also contains the funds. The client can use an ATM card to access his or her account and indicate the amount being deposited, and the ATM will print the relevant information onto the envelope after it is inserted into the machine, allowing bank staff to process it in the morning. Banks without ATM machines often have night drops, where people can drop envelopes containing the deposit slip and funds to be handled by a teller in the morning.

I wonder if it would be legal for me to use a deposit slip as a template and make some of my own for my bank account instead of reordering them? I get tired of paying so much for little slips of paper that I could easily print out on my own at my computer. Do deposit slips have to be made by some institution, or can I just make my own if I include all the necessary information on them?

@Perdido - I was afraid I had done something wrong the first time I used the ATM to make a deposit. I knew that I had filled out the checking account deposit slip correctly and put all my checks in the envelope, but something seemed lost in translation when I checked my account balance online the next day.

I was alarmed that only a $50 deposit showed up on my account, when I had deposited $200. I called the bank, and they told me that every deposit made at the ATM initially would show up as just $50. The rest would show up shortly, but it would take a day longer than if I had dropped my checks off in the night deposit box.

I always fill out a bank deposit slip before I get to the bank, because I almost always visit the bank after it has closed, and I need to have it ready to drop off from my car. My bank has both a night deposit box and an ATM, so I have a choice of how to deposit my checks.

For a long time, I didn't know that you could use an ATM to make a deposit. So, I kept using the deposit box, until one night when they had run out of envelopes.

I didn't want my deposit slip and checks flopping around loosely in the box, so I drove over to the ATM just to see if there were any envelopes over there. That's when I saw the option on the screen to make a deposit. I was thrilled with this, and I went ahead and put everything into the ATM.

It's always a good idea to keep a few extra deposit slips in your car to save you time at the drive through teller or when you go in. I can't tell you how many times I went inside and had to fill out a deposit slip and then someone else who came in after me got ahead of me in line because I didn't have my slip ready.

@Sunny27 - Wells Fargo also has the ability to slide your debit card. Many banks can also verify your account as well before making a deposit. Before I learned my account number I used to always tell them I hadn't remembered it yet and they would verify me. Most of the time, it doesn't matter who is making the deposit either as long as it's going in and not coming out.

Great article- I just want to add sometimes when I fill out my deposit slip, I forget my account number. Bank of America has a simple fix for that.

They usually have me slide my debit card to verify my identity so that the funds that I am depositing could accurately be credited to my account. I love this because I never have to worry about writing my account number on the deposit slip.

Post your comments

Please enter the code:

Login

Register

Make changes/additions/deletions to the article below, and one of our editors will publish your suggestions if warranted.

Optional: Explanation of your recommended changes

Thank You!

One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted.
Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive,
this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.
Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!